Louise and Michael Garvey were soaking wet and covered with mud, and they wouldn't have had it any other way.

The Orange County couple were among hundreds of volleyball enthusiasts who got dirty for charity Saturday at the 22nd annual March of Dimes Mudd Volleyball Challenge.

The tournament, held at Lee Vista Center near Orlando International Airport, featured more than 110 corporate teams playing to benefit the March of Dimes. The 76-year-old nonprofit works to prevent premature births, birth defects and infant deaths.

The Garveys have been participating in the challenge with the Siemens Energy team for years, but their contribution has taken on a special meaning since they became the parents of 10-month-old and 2-year-old girls, they said.

"You consider yourself lucky your kids are healthy and happy, but you know others aren't," Michael Garvey, 45, said. "So you know they will benefit from the money that's being raised here."

Teams competed in 27 mud pits where the players stood knee deep in water, their feet in the mud.

"It's like you have cement bricks on your feet," said Autumn Thomas, 25, of the Spiked Returns II team of employees from Voloridge Investment Management. "It's really tough."

Players had fun with everything from the names of their teams to their attire.

Some of the more creative monikers included Mud, Sweat and Beers, iVolley, Mudd Stache II, Dew it for the Babies, Something Filthy This Way Comes, First Empire Spikes Back, Mudd Pies, the Mud Flaps and Knee Deep.

The most elaborate costumes were worn by teams from 11th Hour, which provides services to the hospitality and convention industry.

They even fashioned a Flintstones-inspired car out of cardboard dowels and white cloth.

"We're trying to fun up the event," said Brannon Wright, 45, captain of the Unga Bungle Bam Bam team. Last year, he and his co-workers dressed as women from the Baywatch TV show, he said.

Teams competed for trophies, medals and bragging rights in four categories from just-for-fun to highly competitive. The rules called for six to 10 players on each team, including two women.

The March of Dimes' fundraising goal from the event was $165,000. Companies also donated food and made other in-kind contributions, including digging the pits. No formal tally was available Saturday.

Brian Ribaric, 38, captain of the top fundraising team, Flat Steve's Floppers, had fun coloring his hair bright green for the event and sloshing through the mud.

But he and his teammates also remembered the seriousness of their cause.

Florida, where 13.7 percent of babies are born prematurely, earned a D grade in the March of Dimes 2013 Premature Birth Report Card. About 549 babies are born prematurely each week in the state, according to the nonprofit.

Prematurity can lead to lifelong disabilities or even death.

"We're out here for the babies," Ribaric said.

The more teams raised, the more perks they got. Free beer, T-shirts and massages were among the rewards.

The first six teams that raised at least $5,150 could enjoy free food and beverages in an air-conditioned tent — a perk that was especially welcome as the temperature climbed into the mid-90s.

Organizers said they hope the Mudd Volleyball Challenge will raise awareness while it raises money.

"We need people who are passionate about our cause," March of Dimes board member Stewart Solomon, 54, said. "We need to solve the problem."